


Saving Sophia

by Merryweather97



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Fem!Sherlock, Teenlock
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 06:35:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3758092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merryweather97/pseuds/Merryweather97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Calvin Gale moves in with his aunt, where he meets Sophia, a brilliant but odd girl and works to make friends with her as they solve mysteries and struggle through sophomore year. I'm terrible at summaries, sorry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first ever fanfic. It's only loosely based on Sherlock, but it did start out that way. This is entirely un-betad, so forgive any mistakes. It's just something random that I got an idea for so I thought I'd post it somewhere. I'd love helpful criticism if anyone is willing to give me any, cause I have no idea what I'm doing.

Calvin Gale was not happy. He forced a smile for his dad as the train pulled out of the station. He waved and smiled till he was out of sight, and then he dropped the act. It wasn't fair to blame his dad, and he knew that, but he couldn't really help it. It wasn't his dad's fault that his mom got sick. It wasn't his mom's fault that his aunt lives halfway across the country. It wasn't even his dad's fault that his company had decided to downsize. It was; however, his dad's fault that he had chosen to reenlist in the army.

He tried to ignore all of this as he made his way through security and to the gate. Sitting down in his gate, he tried to make some headway on the work his new school had sent him to get him up to date with their curriculum. After wasting half an hour on half of a problem, he thought he was going to lose his mind. He hated math. He hated the stupid little school he had never even seen. He hated the stupid little town where his aunt lived. He hated everything about this new life. He had already left all his friends. Not that they had paid him much attention lately. No one knew how to act around the kid that had just lost his mom. But still, he knew where he stood with everyone there. In this little Kentucky town, he knew nothing. 

Looking around, he noticed another teenager that seemed to be traveling alone. Grabbing his backpack, he moved to sit by her. He felt like talking to someone that he'd never see again. It might help him get his mind off things. She was sitting with her feet tucked under her, and she had a small, blue notebook close to her chest that she was rapidly scribbling away in. Occasionally, she would peek over the top and scan the room quickly before diving right back into her work.

"Excuse me," Calvin said, "do you mind if I sit here?" He pointed at the empty seat next to her. 

 

The girl glanced up at him and gave him a look that he was pretty sure meant that she was mentally calling him every synonym for stupid that she could think of, but she didn't technically object, so he took it as a yes. He sat down next to her and slid his bag off his shoulders and onto the floor. Realizing she wasn't going to talk, he decided to attempt his homework again. Having given up on math for the moment, he pulled out his history textbook. He opened it to the first chapter and started to read, knowing that he needed to be through Chapter 4 by the time he started school on Tuesday. It was going relatively well until he got the feeling that someone was watching him. Looking up, he saw that his neighbor had stopped her furious scribbling and seemed to be examining him.

"Can I help you?"

"Large amounts of homework on a plane that's traveling across the country. Most likely makeup work. Makeup work is usually not as extensive as that and you seem to be starting at the beginning. New student then, trying to get caught up before beginning school. Am I correct?" She seemed almost hopeful, but he couldn't quite be certain because her expression of boredom didn't match the way her voice rose just a bit when she asked the question.

"H-how did you know that?" He gasped.

"It was simple really. I just deduced it from the flight you're taking, the books you have, and the general nature of the American education system. Would I also be correct in deducing that you are a sophomore?" She asked, setting her book down in her lap and laying her hands protectively over the cover.

"Um, yeah," Calvin laughed.

"That's a sophomore world history book." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "In case you were wondering how I knew that."

"That's amazing! Where'd you learn to do that?" Calvin cried, slamming his book shut.

"I didn't learn it. All those things are blatantly obvious." She rolled her eyes. "Now, you clearly have a lot to do, so I'll leave you to it."

"But this is more fun. I'm sick of homework. What else can you tell about me?"

"You're traveling alone, so probably from one family member to another. You don't seem to be excited, so it's probably some sort of forced move, so you are angry at whoever put you in this position. You don't seem in the least uncomfortable near so many adults, so you've probably spent a good deal of time in a professional setting. A parent's job? No, you don't seem inclined to talk to the adults. A hospital then? Yes. You are neat and orderly, and you seem used to doing schoolwork in a busy environment. Someone close to you was sick. Either a sibling or a parent, though given your traveling circumstance I would guess parent. So, sick parent passes away, the one that survives doesn't feel they can care for you, so they ship you off to a family member. Also, your name is Calvin. You've already written it in your textbook. How was that for fun?" She sneered at the last word. He didn't know what he had done to upset her, but she seemed mad. But everything she said had been true. Brutal, but true.

Then the girl's phone lit up and she glared at it before getting up to walk away and answer it.

"Wait, now you know my name, so it's only fair I learn yours," Calvin said.

"Life isn't fair," she replied as she tucked her blue book under her arm. She started to walk away then turned back and replied, "But it's Chandler." Then she answered the phone and Calvin watched her long, curly dark hair disappear into the crowd of the airport.


	2. Meeting Mike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calvin gets to Nashville to meet his aunt and is introduced to a stranger--and his sister.

He didn't see her again. So he sat down and skimmed the rest of his history work. Who cares if he didn't remember it? Then, he goofed off on his phone until it was time to board the plane. He found a nice window seat towards the back and settled in, planning on taking a nap. But by that point, all the passengers had boarded and everyone was looking for an empty seat. Including Chandler. With an exasperated sigh, she sat down next to him and pulled out her little blue book.

"Come on! Not even a 'Can I sit here?' What did I do to you?" Calvin laughed. "What if that seat had been taken?"

"It wasn't."

"Well, yeah. You just happened to be lucky." Chandler didn't even dignify that with a response. "Well, okay then..." Calvin paused to think of what to say. It wasn't usually that hard for him. He was a people-person. "So, um, you know quite a bit about me. Will you tell me a bit about yourself?"

She didn't even look up. "Um... Where are you from? Like here or The Nashville area or what?"

Silence. "Well fine then... Scribble away in your little notebook then. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when the stewardess comes by with drinks," Calvin huffed.

He woke up four hours later. Not cause she woke him up though. Nope. Instead, he woke up because the plane was landing in Nashville. He had slept the entire flight. It didn't really bother him though. Calvin hadn't gotten a lot of sleep in the past few months, so anything he could get was a plus. Chandler might not have woken him up, but she was definitely staring at him.

"What?" Calvin asked groggily. "You're the one that didn't wake me up."

"You snore," she replied simply.

As soon as he was able to get his phone on, he called his aunt. "Hey Aunt Harriet."

"Calvin! You're here! I know you're not excited but we're going to have fun, okay? It won't be as bad as you think it'll be. It's a good school, and you can play sports and be in clubs and make new friends. It won't be the end of the world, I promise!" She exclaimed in a single breath as soon as she answered.

"Aunt Harriet, calm down okay. You don't have to sugar coat this for me. I'm kind of sick of that actually. I was just calling to see if you were here." 

"Yeah, I'm walking toward baggage claim now. And Cal, listen. I know this is hard for you. I remember the first time your dad enlisted. I was 18 and living with your parents trying to get through college and help my sister raise you. Your dad is like a brother to me. I don't like it any more than you do, but sometimes we just have to suck it up and work through it. Okay?"

"Okay Aunt Harriet. I'll try. Now I gotta go. We're getting off the plane," Calvin said. "Bye."

"Bye Cal. I'll see you in a-- wait, what are you doing here?" She yelled to someone else as she hung up the phone. 

"Well that was weird..." Calvin mumbled to himself as he made his way towards baggage claim.

When Cal reached his aunt, he found her standing to a very annoyed looking man.

"Calvin!" She called, hugging him. "You've gotten so big!"

"Aunt Harriet... Let's not do this, please?" Calvin whined. "I'm tired..."

She gave him puppy dog eyes and pretended to cry a little before she her friend. "Oh, Cal, this is my friend Mike. We work together. And Mike, this is my nephew Calvin."

"Hi Calvin," Mike replied distractedly as he craned his neck to look for someone in the crowd.

"Still don't see her?" Harriet asked.

"No... And I know she's just trying to make this difficult for me. Though it's not like she doesn't want to be found. If she didn't, I wouldn't be able to no matter how hard I tried," Mike sighed.

"His sister, Sophia, ran away from home this weekend. It's kind of a bad habit of hers, getting on planes and going random places only to come back a day later. I don't actually know how she manages it so often..." Harriet mused.

"Oh, well, I hope he finds her," Calvin laughed, "Are you ready to go?"

"Actually, Mike and I were thinking we could go get dinner together or something. So you can meet Soph. It'll be fun," Harriet reassured him.

"Oh, okay." After a minute Calvin asked, "Why did his sister run away?"

"Um, well, that's just Sophia. She's a little bit odd, but she's sweet deep down. I mean really deep down. You've just got to get to know her. And you will. Mike and Sophia are actually our next door neighbors. We practically live at each other's houses. He's probably my best friend," Harriet explained.

Calvin whispered to her, "So, are you guys like, you know, a thing?"

Harriet started laughing so hard she cried. "Sorry Cal, I know it's a perfectly reasonable question, but no. It's not really going to happen. He's gay."

"Really? He doesn't look like..." Calvin trailed off.

"Don't be so stereotypical. Not every gay guy is flamboyant and fashionable!" Harriet reprimanded him gently.

Just then, Mike yelled, "Sophia! Get over here right now!"

Calvin looked around for the girl that Mike was glaring at, with his arms crossed. He didn't see anyone though. There was of course a huge crowd moving in their direction, because they were by the doors, but no one seemed directly headed for them. He didn't realize it until she stopped in front of them and sneered, "Well hello to you too brother dearest."

"Wait, I thought your name was Chandler?" Calvin gasped.

"It is. Sophia Holmes Chandler. I'm assuming you're Harrie's nephew then..." She replied, obviously bored by his presence.

"Wait, do you two know each other?" Mike asked, shocked.

"Yeah. We met on the plane," Calvin explained.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what she said to you, but I'm sure it was horrible, but she didn't mean it that way. She just has poor people skills. She doesn't understand what will offend people," Mike rushed to explain.

"I do understand! People simply shouldn't get upset when I deduce facts. It's illogical--" she was cut off by her brother.

"What am I going to do with you?" He sighed. "Now come on, let's go get dinner. Maybe you two can start over."


	3. First Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calvin goes to dinner with his aunt, Mike, and Sophia. Again, I can't write summaries to save my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that probably no one is reading this, but I'm gonna keep updating it cause I like it. At least, until I get bored. Then I may abandon it unless someone reminds me about it. I don't know...
> 
> And sorry, this chapters short! I've been sick all week and just can't think!

Calvin rode with his aunt to the restaurant. It was apparently a favorite of hers any time she went to Nashville, so she rambled on about the menu, but Cal really didn't care. He wanted to know what Chandler--no Sophia's deal was. Most people don't run away from home on the weekends. It would be rather difficult.

"Aunt Harriet," Calvin interrupted. "Why didn't Sophia's parents come pick her up? Why did they send her brother." He had a feeling he might know the answer, but he didn't want to make assumptions.

The pause before she started talking only made him more sure. "About a year and a half ago, they died in a car crash. It was her mom and her stepdad. Mike was his dad's only kid from a previous marriage. He took her in. But don't ask about it. It's still a sore subject. We think Sophia and all of her stunts are her way of coping with her loss."

"I had thought it might be something like that," Calvin sighed. "At least she had a brother."

"Yeah..." Harriet mumbled. He could tell she wasn't telling him something though.

They got to the restaurant only to find Mike and Sophia already waiting. She was sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest and an expression of boredom on her face while her brother lectured her on how she shouldn't scare him like that. Calvin could tell Sophia knew the lecture by heart at that point. 

"Hi guys," Harriet said a little too brightly, trying to relieve the tension. 

"Hello Harrie, come to lecture me as well?" Sophia sneered back at her. Mike gave her a look and she backed down, dropping her knees and crossing her arms on the table with her head lightly resting on top, like an angry child.

"What am I going to do with you?" Mike cried.

"What can you do with me, brother dearest?" She replied right back, challenging him.

The tension hung in the air until a waiter came to take their order. Calvin was sitting right next to Sophia, but she seemed to be the only one not drilling him with questions. Mike truly seemed interested though, so he normally wouldn't have minded, other than the fact that he was just exhausted. Harriet had a good grasp on topics that he wouldn't get upset about, so she guided the conversation and he just went on auto pilot. That is, until Mike decided to ask a question about his flight.

"What exactly did Soph say to you on the flight?"

"Nothing that wasn't true," he shrugged.

"It doesn't mean it was kind," Mike replied.

"If you're asking if she hurt my feelings, the answer is no. It was just facts. They're facts that I've accepted and am getting ready to have to tell everyone at school. Maybe in less detail, but I will. It kind of, I don't know, helped? To hear it as facts I guess. When everyone talks around things it becomes much more personal and harder to deal with. I don't know. It just didn't bother me too much I guess, probably because it was the truth."

Sophia stared at him like he had two heads. "You weren't offended?"

"Was that your goal?" Calvin asked, truly curious.

"Not initially. Most people simply despise my deductions. So when you wanted more I assumed it was an attempt to ridicule me," she replied matter-of-factly.

"So that was why you seemed mad. I was wondering what I had done. But no, my purpose wasn't to make fun of you. I really do think it's cool," Calvin replied.

She sat in stunned silence the rest of the meal. Before Cal knew it, it was time to go to Harriet's house--it was time to go to his new home. Without even going and looking around, he stumbled straight into the room Harriet said was his and fell asleep.


	4. Morning Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calvin just wants coffee. What does his aunt have against it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! It's been a crazy couple of weeks with AP tests and powderpuff (girls playing football, it's a high school tradition) and all kinds of chaos! I don't know that anyone is actually reading this, but I'll be updating a bit more often if anyone is. Or if no one is. Like I said before, I'm doing this cause I like it.

Calvin woke up the next morning to the sound of birds outside his window. Having lived in an apartment in the city, he was used to cars and horns honking in the morning. Somehow the birds were more annoying. He stumbled down the stairs and started looking for the kitchen, hoping his aunt had some coffee. 

"Come on, you can tell me," Calvin heard his aunt pleading. So she wasn't alone.

In reply, all Cal heard was a very annoyed sigh. He walked into the kitchen and found the last person he expected to find sitting in his aunt's kitchen. It was Sophia. Not that he didn't think his aunt liked Sophia, he was actually pretty sure she really liked Sophia. It was just that it was six in the morning and she wasn't in her own house.

"Morning," Harriet chirped. "Would you like some tea?" She asked, pointing at the teapot on the stove behind her.

"Umm... No thanks Aunt Harriet. Do you have any coffee though?"

With a grimace, Harriet replied, "No coffee in this house. Mike should have some though. Run along next door and ask."

"I don't want to bother anyone," Calvin shrugged.

"He won't mind. Soph comes over for tea every morning. It's practically a tradition. Just knock on the side door. It goes straight to the kitchen."

After a moment's hesitation, Cal followed his aunt's directions. He really wanted coffee. He knocked gently on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time. Mike opened the door, and looked at him like he had grown an extra head overnight.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you, but my aunt said that you might have coffee. She doesn't keep any in the house."

"Oh, of course! Come on in," Mike opened the door wider and let Calvin come in. "Sorry, I'm not used to anyone else being sane enough to drink coffee. You're welcome to come over for coffee whenever you want."

"Um, thanks," Calvin replied as he stepped in and stood around. Mike got out a coffee mug and started filling it up as Calvin shifted from foot to foot in the silence.

"Sit down, don't be shy. You're always welcome over here," Mile smiled. "And don't mind Sophia. She can be a little harsh, but she's had a rough time." Calvin nodded and they say in silence for a few minutes. "I'm not saying you have to be friends with her or anything," Mike continued. "Just give her a bit of a break. She's not a huge fan of kids her age. They get annoyed by her."

"I can see where it might get annoying, but it's actually kind of brilliant. It's amazing that she can do that," Calvin replied, sipping his coffee. "If she was a little less harsh, it would be really cool I think."

"I don't know if you're just being nice or not, I haven't had enough coffee for that yet, but thank you. She's just, I don't know. Mom wasn't like that. And I didn't know her dad, so I don't know if he was like that, but--" just then an alarm went off on Mike's phone. "Oh gosh, it's time for us to go. It was nice talking to you Calvin. Would you mind sending Sophia and Harriet over here? If we want to get to school on time, we really need to leave now..."

"Of course," Calvin said, standing up. Awkwardly holding his now-empty mug he asked, "Where do you want me to..."

"Oh, just put it in the sink," Mile replied, waving his hand in the general direction.

Calvin walked back to Harriet's house. He opened the door to a stare-down between the two women in the room. Slightly scared to interrupt the tense silence, he quietly passed on Mike's message before attempting to sneak out of the room. Harriet however, caught him by the arm before he could escape upstairs to his room. 

"Sorry I have to work today. Just unpack, hangout, get your homework done, whatever. There's money on the counter if you want to order pizza later. Sorry I won't be here for your first day in town, but we'll go explore when I get home. We'll do whatever you want, okay?" Harriet smiled hopefully.

"Its okay Aunt Harriet. Just go to work. I'm not gonna be the reason you're late. I'll be fine. I can spend a day home alone, I've done it before!" Calvin said, smiling back.


End file.
